Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698930712806.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER WEDNESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2021 No.

19 12 noon 1 *1.

*2.

*3.

*4.

*5.

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS* Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Law whether the Ministry will consider providing psychological and counselling support and legal advice for all bankrupts.
Mr Vikram Nair: To ask the Minister for Education whether he can provide an update on the investigation into the death of Jethro Puah and whether there are any lessons to be learnt to reduce the risk of serious accidents when students take part in higher risk activities.
Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Health following the wrong dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine for one staff at the Singapore National Eye Centre, how has the standard operating procedure been improved to ensure that such a mistake will not recur at other vaccination sites.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the recent vaccination overdose incident in Singapore National Eye Centre (a) why was there no dedicated staff to handle this critical operation and no formal briefing with notes if a handover was necessary; (b) whether there is a standard operating procedure (SOP) across institutions to handle vaccine preparation; and (c) how will the SOP be enhanced to prevent a recurrence.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health how do public healthcare institutions manage the workload of medical workers to ensure that they are not overworked and made to excessively multitask so as to avoid human errors of the type which occurred in the Singapore National Eye Centre.

No.

19 *6.

*7.

*8.

*9.

*10.

*11.


24 FEBRUARY 2021 2 Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA has plans for a major revamp of bus routes following the staged opening of Thomson-East Coast Line; (b) what is the number of current bus routes with fare revenue (i) exceeding operating cost and (ii) falling behind operating cost; and (c) of these, which are trunk and feeder services respectively in 2019 and 2020.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether there has been a sharp increase in the number of visitors to the nature parks during the pandemic period; (b) what can be done to manage overcrowding and over-utilisation of the parks; and (c) whether more can be done to minimise disamenities to immediate residential areas due to high visitations of some popular parks.
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the circumstances under which the Silver Support payout quantum may be reduced for beneficiaries; and (b) whether there are ways by which changes may be better explained to reduce the anxiety and other negative consequences for the seniors who are unaware or do not expect the drop.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Education (a) given that travel remains unlikely, what are the plans for students from institutes of higher learning to gain global exposure; and (b) whether there are any changes to the '70-70 target' under the Global Ready Talent Programme whereby the aim is for 70% of students to gain overseas exposure and the Government provides 70% funding for the allowances or salaries of students undertaking internships in Singaporean companies based overseas.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Education whether there are any plans to (i) reduce the allocation of places in primary schools during Phases 2A and 2B especially among popular or high-ranked schools and (ii) make funding for schools inversely proportional to the number of students accepted in Phase 2A.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge for Muslim Affairs (a) whether there are plans to extend the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programmes to more madrasahs; and (b) what are the types of support given to madrasahs to better equip students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and values for their journey towards being future religious leaders and scholars.

No.

19 24 FEBRUARY 2021 3 *12.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development what is (i) the average total cost per year to the Government (inclusive of direct subsidies and administrative costs) to subsidise a public rental household (ii) the breakdown in terms of percentages between building costs, maintenance costs, direct subsidy, administrative and other costs and (iii) the average total cost involved in subsidising each public rental household before they successfully move to their own homes, given that the median number of years they stay in public rental housing is seven.
*13.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether vaccination certificates are given to COVID-19 vaccination programme participants and in what forms; (b) whether vaccination records will be made available on the National Immunisation Registry and accessible via SingPass; (c) whether data from the Immunisation Registry will be shared with the World Health Organisation and other countries; and (d) how does the Government determine whether vaccination records presented by visitors are authentic.
*14.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how do the key differences between the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines influence the Government’s decision in purchasing and allocating vaccines; and (b) whether the Government will consider allowing residents a choice over which vaccine to use if it will impact their decision to be vaccinated.

*15.
*15.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry has any shared data with the Ministry of Social and Family Development on the number of isolated elderly living within purchased HDB flats who are on ComCare support; and (b) if so, what are the numbers in the last five years.

*16.
*16.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the basis used in the setting of MediSave withdrawal limits; and (b) whether it tracks (i) increasing medical costs for seniors and (ii) coverage of MediSave for seniors with chronic illnesses.

*17.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Health what are the outcomes of the pilot Care Close to Home service model for the elderly frail and home bound residents in HDB public rental estates.

*18.
*18.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development for families seeking to downgrade in 2019-2020 and apply for smaller BTO flats (a) what are the percentages that succeeded on the first ballot, second ballot and third ballot; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider putting such applicants on a queue system instead of a ballot system if they fail to have a successful ballot after three attempts.

No.

19 24 FEBRUARY 2021 4 *19.


Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current percentage of HDB flats that have been approved to be rented out in the open market, broken down by (i) flat type and (ii) town; (b) what is the percentage that has been rented out to Malaysians and other nationalities respectively; and (c) whether the Ministry will ensure a better mix of nationalities and restrict the concentration of tenants from a particular nationality.

*20.
*20.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the latest resident and non-resident employment trends; (b) what are the areas of jobs growth and decline; and (c) what is the expected severity of retrenchments in coming months.

*21.
*21.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the different kinds of student information that are being tracked by the security software that is built into students' learning devices made available to secondary school, junior college and other students; and (b) what is the rationale for this.

*22.
*22.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with the rescheduling of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to August 2021 (a) how has this impacted Singapore’s plans and preparations for the event; (b) what are the measures in place to reduce the likelihood of further postponement; and (c) how will the Government address the challenges and concerns faced by WEF to ensure the conference proceeds as planned.

*23.
*23.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what efforts are in place to encourage food sustainability habits and reduce food wastage in our wet markets and hawker centres.

*24.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can allow any patient regardless of prognosis to participate in the pilot for Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) so as to increase the number of patients enrolled under the pilot study.

*25.
*25.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the average cost for participating in the pilot for Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS); and (b) whether the Ministry can consider completely subsidising these costs so as to increase the number of patients enrolled under the pilot study.

*26.
*26.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education as there is an increasing demand for professionals in the healthcare, infocomm technology, cybersecurity and e-commerce sectors, whether the Ministry will consider to offer more of such related courses in local polytechnics, allowing students to gain a relevant foothold in the job market during the current economic climate.

No.

19 *27.
No.

19 *27.

24 FEBRUARY 2021 5 Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education what is the current percentage of polytechnic graduates who successfully secure full-time employment in industries relevant to the course of their polytechnic studies.

*28.
*28.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the number of cases of domestic violence or abuse involving children below the age of 12 is higher for children in blended families or with step-parents, compared to those children who are not.

*29.
*29.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will introduce a licensing regime for individuals and companies that provide complementary alternative therapy for children with autism and, if not, why; the effectiveness of and (b) whether complementary alternative therapy in the market and, if not, whether there are any plans to do so.

the Ministry has reviewed *30.


Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether NParks will be taking any follow-up actions following an NParks-funded study titled “Restricted human activities shift the foraging strategies of feral pigeons (Columba livia) and three other commensal bird species”; and (b) if so, what are these actions.

*31.
*31.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the basis for the statutory requirement of more than four units in the definition of “housing development” in the Housing Developers (Control and Licensing) Act; and (b) whether the Government will consider revising this to ensure projects with four units or lesser are also covered by the Act.

*32.
*32.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether there is a change of new town development planning parameters in terms of land use for residential, leisure, community and transport infrastructures.

* Members may postpone their Questions to a later sitting day if their Questions are not reached by the end of Question Time (QT).

For such Questions, Members may email to parl_cop@parl.gov.sg in advance a postponement notice that will be effected after QT.
Members must submit their notices to the Clerk within one hour after the end of QT (SO 22(3)).

Questions will be given a written answer if no such notices are received by the Clerk within the stipulated time.

No.

19 24 FEBRUARY 2021 6 AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Introduction of Government Bills 1.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance: Supply Bill.

(President’s recommendation signified).

2.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance: Fourth Supplementary Supply (FY 2020) Bill.
(President’s recommendation signified).

ORDER OF THE DAY 1.

BUDGET STATEMENT: Resumption of Debate on Question (16 February 2021) (Allotted Day), “That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the financial year 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.”.

– (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance).

1.

2.

3.
1.

2.

3.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will consider allowing a certain number of days of legislated childcare leave to be taken in parts, such as in several-hour blocks, for working parents without flexible work arrangements and who have childcare needs that do not extend to the entire workday.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Law with regard to second- hand cigarette smoke-related claims being filed in the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal in the past three years, (a) what has been the typical waiting time from the filing of a claim to the conclusion of the hearing; and (b) what are the outcomes of these claims and how many have been resolved.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Law for each year over the past five years, how many accused persons (i) have applied for legal representation under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) and (ii) have been provided legal representation through CLAS.

No.

19 24 FEBRUARY 2021 7 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Health how many Singaporean women underwent abortions between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020, with a breakdown by numbers per month.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current percentage of healthcare workers suffering from mental health problems due to increased workload and stressful work environment since the outbreak of COVID-19; and (b) whether there is an adequate and effective social support system in place to ensure the psychological well-being of our healthcare workers.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there has been an increase in cases of harassment against healthcare workers; and (b) how many times has the Protection from Harassment Act been enforced in the past few years.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health at public healthcare institutions in each year from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many cleaning sector workers were deployed (i) overall and (ii) in patient care areas; (b) what proportion of these were (i) direct hires and (ii) outsourced respectively; and (c) what was the the median salary for direct hires and outsourced workers respectively.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health at public healthcare institutions in each year from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many patient care assistants were deployed; (b) what proportion were (i) direct hires and (ii) outsourced respectively; and (c) what was the median salary for the above direct hires and outsourced workers respectively.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health at public healthcare institutions in each year from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many healthcare attendants were deployed; (b) what proportion were (i) direct hires and (ii) outsourced respectively; and (c) what is the median salary for the direct hires and outsourced workers respectively.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether dedicated smoking facilities can be built in town areas to encourage smokers not to smoke in public places, to protect non- smokers from second-hand smoke.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the designation of the Orchard Road precinct as a “No Smoking Zone” (NSZ) has been considered as a success; and (b) whether the Ministry is considering designating other areas as NSZ.

No.

19 24 FEBRUARY 2021 8 12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.


Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in extending natural gas pipes islandwide to promote the use of natural gas especially to all industrial estates.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether Day Activity Centres can enlarge their enrolment to increase the likelihood of securing placements at such centres for adults with autism.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the enrolment cost can be reduced for Day Activity Centres that provide care and skills training to adults with disabilities.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there are plans to extend the Lasting Power of Attorney Form 1 application fee waiver for Singapore citizens beyond 31 March 2021.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the cost of Certificates of Entitlement for vehicles used by care-givers in driving people with disabilities or autism for daily or weekly activities can be reduced.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the existing road tax regime, which levies higher taxes on vehicles with higher engine capacity, indirectly encourages the purchase of cars with fewer embedded safety features; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider exemptions for added safety features for private hire cars so as to encourage installation of more safety features in this class of vehicles.
Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the criteria to determine if a road within a private estate with landed homes is to have a single continuous white line, broken white line or no line at all; and (b) what is the proportion of private estate roads in Singapore that have a single continuous white line, broken white line and no line respectively.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether she can provide an update on whether all migrant workers living in dormitories are now being paid their salaries electronically; (b) if not, what is the timeline for ensuring that all migrant workers living in dormitories are paid salaries electronically; and (c) whether the requirement for electronic payment will be extended to work permit holders not living in dormitories.

20.
20.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for National Development what are the restrictions on stateless persons attempting to buy or rent a HDB flat and whether such restrictions can be eased.

No.

19 24 FEBRUARY 2021 9 21.

22.

23.


Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development for HDB flat owners seeking to sell their flats before the minimum occupation period, whether HDB will consider implementing alternative policies such as a tiered gains tax on the unfulfilled occupation period.
Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry intends to develop the unused land at the junctions of (i) Keat Hong Link and Choa Chu Kang Avenue 7 (ii) Choa Chu Kang Avenue 7 and Choa Chu Kang Grove and (iii) Choa Chu Kang Avenue 5 and Choa Chu Kang Avenue 6; and (b) if so, what are the plans and when will the plans be carried out.
Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development when a land is parcelled out to developers for development of an estate of inter- terrace houses, whether the Ministry can require the developers to spell out whether the roads connecting the houses will allow parking of additional cars so that buyers can make informed decisions before the purchase of the houses so to avoid subsequent complaints on lack of parking outside their houses.

2021 5 6 1 Cmd.

Cmd.

Misc.


PAPERS PRESENTED Date Presented The Revenue and Expenditure Estimates for the Financial Year 2021/2022 ... 16 February 2021 Fourth Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for the Financial Year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 ... 16 February 2021 Statement of the Minister for Finance the [Under Article 147(4)(a) of Constitution] ... 16 February 2021 S. L. 167 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.
3) Regulations 2021 ... 17 February 2021 S. L. 168 Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Act (Amendment of Schedule - Saving and Transitional Provisions) Order 2021 ... 23 February 2021 ________________________________________________________________________